A Day In The Life Of Gary
by Corporal 'Spider' Hawthorne
Summary: Hey guys! Kate here! This one-shot is a realistic fiction on what Gary "Roach" Sanderson's life was like as a teenager. This my second one-shot and I'm really looking forward to reviews!


**A/N: Hey guys! Kate here! This one shot is a realistic fiction on what Gary "Roach" Sanderson's life was like as a teenager. This my second one shot and I'm really looking forward to reviews!**

**Note from Alex: Kate is new to MW2 and FF, but when I read this I was like :0. It's really a nice piece of work and I love it!**

***Disclaimer:* I don't own COD or the characters :)**

My worn out high tops slap pavement as I run for my life. Ryan has been chasing me since we left school. It makes him happy to beat the crap out of me.

"You can't run forever, Sanderson!"

I glance over my shoulder to see Ryan a few feet behind me. I take a deep breath and push myself to run faster.

Two more blocks and I'll be home.

I turn the corner and run head first into something that feels like a tower of pillows. I bounce back off it right into Ryan. I look up to see that tower of pillows is Fender: Ryan's number one wing man.

Fender grabs the front of my shirt and drags me behind some bushes. He kicks my feet out from under me and throws me on the ground hard. My back cracks and in seconds Ryan is on top of me.

He has his hat turn backwards and his mouth is twisted into an evil grin.

"Always one step ahead of you huh, Sanderson."

He pulls back his fist and it connects with my nose. I feel it crack and warm blood drips out. I struggle helplessly under Ryan's weight. It isn't because he's big, it's because I'm small. I'm 10 pounds underweight for a 14 year old boy. Ryan snickers at me while I struggle.

With a quick movement, his elbow jabs into my gut hard. I gag and feel like I'm going to be sick. Then, Fender gives a warning whistle to Ryan; alerting him of approaching people. He gets off and kicks me below the belt.

I curl myself into a ball and moan in pain. Ryan decides to degrade me even more by spitting in my face. His hot saliva slides down my cheek as they walk off.

I lay on the ground bleeding and in pain till I hear a voice.

"Gary? What the hell happened to you?"

I glance up to see a girl kneeling next to me. It's Skylar, my only friend.

"Ryan and Fender happened," I croak.

"Bastards. Gary, look at me."

I turn my whole face towards her. Her green eyes are filled with concern.

"Well, your nose doesn't look broken. But its going to be swollen and funny looking for a while."

"Great."

She stands up and holds out her to me. I grab on struggle to my feet.

"Can you walk?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I say, my head spinning slightly. I wipe the blood and spit on my sleeve and start walking.

It's embarrassing that Skylar always has to come to my rescue but I guess that's what friends are for.

We walk to my house without speaking. Skylar can tell I don't want to talk about it. When we reach my apartment building, she smiles and tells me she'll see me tomorrow. I say the same but I don't know if I'll even make it through today.

I climb two sets of stairs to apartment 12C and turn the doorknob. Utter chaos awaits my arrival.

Timmy and Jason are brawling on the floor while Sarah is trying desperately to clean. Gianna has a whining Leah on slung over her hip while she stirs a pot on the stove. Dr. Phil is watching the whole mess through the television screen, his droning voice on full blast. I look around to notice my mother and Denny are nowhere to be seen.

I step in the apartment, closing the door behind me. I say hello to Sarah as I separate Timmy and Jason.

"Thank God you're home, Gary! I didn't know what to do with those two!" she says, turning down the volume on the TV.

I give the boys a stern look.

"You two go apologize to Sarah and go set the table for dinner."

Timmy and Jason nod and walk over to Sarah, their heads hanging.

Sometimes, I can't believe those words come out of my mouth, but someone has to step up while Denny is working.

Denny is my oldest brother. Every morning he gets up at 4 to deliver newspapers before school, after school he works at the cafe as a busboy till 12. He comes home, does homework, sleeps for a hour (if he's lucky), and the cycle begins again. Without Denny we would be living on the streets.

I walk into the kitchen and Leah giggles when she sees me.

"GiGi! GiGi! Gary's home!"

Leah pulls on Gianna's sleeve to put her down. Gianna lets out a sigh and lowers her to floor, her eyes never leaving to pot on the stove. Leah runs over to me and holds her arms up above her head.

"Up! Up!"

I bend down and pick her up.

"How's my favorite girl? Were you good for GiGi today?"

Gianna is a high school drop out. She left to stay home and take care of Leah while my mother is out doing "business."

"No, she wasn't. She refused to take a nap, decided to draw on the walls, and she wouldn't stop whining!" Gianna says finally turning to face me.

Her eyes widen when she sees my nose. Im surprised Sarah and the boys didn't notice.

"Dear God, Gary, what happened to your face? It wasn't those boys again was it?"

I shake my head but don't look her in the eye.

I hear dishes clanking as Timmy and Jason set the table. The vacuum is roaring in the other room as Sarah continues her cleaning spree. Leah puts her arms around my neck.

"There's a monster, Gary! Sarah is fighting the monster!"

"There's no monster, Leah. Just the vacuum. That helps the house look pretty."

"For when Daddy comes home?"

I cringe. Every year or so my ass of a father comes home. He's an abusive drunk and whenever he leaves my mother is always pregnant. We're lucky he hasn't come back since Leah was born.

"Yeah, for Daddy." I lie.

Gianna whistles as she puts the pot on the table.

The vacuum hums to a stop and Sarah walks into the kitchen. Timmy and Jason are already seated, waiting eagerly to eat. I walk over to Leah's highchair and sit her in it.

Gianna ladles out soup from the pot into the bowls on to six bowls on the table and two on the counter. One for Denny and one for my mother. Gianna covers the two on the counter with plastic wrap and places them in the fridge.

We sit down together at the crowded table and eat while Timmy tells about how he won a race today at school.

After dinner, Sarah and I clean the kitchen while Gianna gets Leah for bed and the boys do their homework in the glow of the television.

When we finally finish cleaning, it is 7:30 and my mother is still not home. We watch Wheel of Fortune all together and I let Sarah say all of answers first, even when I figure out the puzzle before her.

Eventually, Gianna calls me into the kitchen. Leah is squirming on her hip and she looks on the verge of tears.

"Gary, can you please put Leah to bed tonight? She won't listen to me and your so good with her...please."

I see the desperation in my sister's eyes. She is only 17 but her pretty face is tired and pale. Gianna is the base of our family. She's a better mother than our real one could ever be.

"Gi, go get some sleep. I'll take care of Leah."

She hands me Leah and kisses my forehead.

"Thank you."

I nod and walk into the family room.

"Tim and Jay, go get ready for bed."

They whine about it being too early and stomp to their room.

I walk down the hall to Sarah and Leah's room and lay Leah down on the bed.

"Gary! Tuck me in!"

I smile and pull the pink, unicorn covered comforter over her.

"Where's Annie?" I ask, pretending to be worried.

Leah pulls an ancient Raggedy Ann doll out from under her frilly pillow. It's been sewn back together so many times. That doll used to be Sarah's. Before Annie met Sarah, she belonged to Gianna.

"Annie's right here!" Leah exclaims waving her doll at me.

I turn my head and look at the stack of storybooks on the nightstand.

"Want me to read you a story, Leah?"

"Yes! Yes!"

I scan the pile of books but Leah taps my arm.

"Not those! GiGi already told me those!"

"Ok, hold on I'll be right back."

I walk out into the kitchen, grab Jason's old Captain America comic off the counter, and return to Leah once again.

I sit back in the old rocking chair at the foot of her bed and smile.

"This is a big girl story, Leah! Are you ready to listen?"

Leah nods.

I begin to read out loud about the brave Captain America and I don't even notice Leah fall asleep till Sarah walks in.

"Gary, you finished? It's 9:00."

"Oh yeah. I'm done. Is mom home?"

Sarah shakes her head and walks over to her bed.

I bottle up my anger towards my mother and say goodnight to my younger sisters.

I peek in the boys room across the hall to make sure there asleep and they are. I walk down the hall past the bathroom to Gianna's room. Her door is open and the radio is playing softly in the corner.

I step over piles of clothes and old school books and turn off her radio. I pick up a quilt off the chair in the corner and spread it over her. Gianna means the world to me. Unlike my useless mother. I walk out of the room, closing the door behind me.

I lock the apartment door and retreat to the family room. I lay down on the couch I call my bed and let the sounds of the inner city begin to lull me into sleep, like a ghetto lullaby.

Then I hear a key click into the doorknob. The door opens wide, shining the artificial light of the hallway in my eyes. My mother stands in the doorway, drunk and barely clothed.

Her tight shirt is bulging in random spots. She shakes out her shirt and tiny plastic bags filled with white powder fall to the floor. She snatches them up and carries them into the kitchen.

I hear her take the roll of tin foil out of the cabinet and rip off a piece. She comes back into the family room and sits on the floor in the corner. She sprinkles the white powder on to tin foil and takes out a lighter.

The flame clicks to life as my mother holds it under the tin foil. She breathes deeply, inhaling the brain killing fumes.

I roll over on the couch so my back is facing her.

Same old shit. Different day.

**Read, review, enjoy!**


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